The Philadelphia Flyers will own the 7th overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft in Nashville.
It wasn’t what we wanted, but it’s not all bad in Philadelphia. Here’s some things to consider once we’re done venting, of course.
At least he’s not in the Metro.
Firstly, with Chicago winning the draft lottery, the Flyers won’t have to worry about another dynamic, star-level player heading to the Metropolitan division. There was a real possibility that the Columbus Blue Jackets (13.5 percent) could have won the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.
Philadelphia already has Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Panarin, Barzal, Aho, and Hughes to deal with regularly in divisional matchups. With Bedard heading west, it’s somewhat of a win for the Flyers. If they couldn’t land the supremely gifted wunderkind themselves at least he’s not in the Metro. Worse scenarios could’ve played out for them.
2023 NHL Draft is DEEP.
Secondly, the 2023 NHL Draft, which will take place on June 28th, isn’t just a one player draft. The 2023 NHL Draft is expected to yield several high-end players. With the 7th overall pick, the Flyers could certainly snag one of those players.
Leading up to draft day you’ll hear names like Ryan Leonard, Will Smith, Zach Benson, Oliver Moore, Dalibor Dvorsky and defensemen David Reinbacher. Each player possesses varying degrees of upside and potential. They all own the kind of ability the Flyers would welcome to the organization given their current state.
It’s a rebuild.
Lastly, the Flyers are in for a multi-year process here and their 6.5 percent chance to land the first overall pick was slim. Would landing the 1st or 2nd overall pick accelerate a rebuild in Philly? Certainly, but it wouldn’t have magically turned a team with more than one hole in its roster into a contender this coming season or even next. Connor Bedard is an exceptional talent. One that Flyers deserve to see play for their team. Especially after navigating through the dreck they’ve seen play out for the last several years. It has been reported by Darren Dreger that the Flyers will attempt to move up in this draft. To me that seems unlikely for Briere and company, as no team in the top five is likely to part with their first round pick unless it is a clear overpay.
The good news?
No team jumped the Flyers in the lottery and they didn’t fall backwards either, leaving them still with a reasonable chance to land a quality player, even if it’s a shade more difficult.
Mark Ramos is a Contributor for HW Hockey
Photo: NHL.com
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